Police in Hillsville and Independence report new scams targeting local residents.
The "American Dreams" contest scam already has cost one man $11,000. Other scams involve phone calls from a fake sweepstakes and a bogus "envelope-stuffing" job.
The Independence Police Department has issued a warning to area residents to beware of a scam that cost an Independence man $11,000.
Cpl. Matthew Adams said the unidentified man was contacted by a representative of a company called American Dreams. The man was told that he had won a prize but would have to pay some money up front before he could claim it.
Adams said the man was given an authorization number, but everything turned out to be bogus and the man lost his money.
He said another Independence woman was contacted about stuffing envelopes at home and making a monthly salary of $2,000. The only catch was she had to pay $500 up front.
The woman didn't fall for the scam and notified police.
Adams reminded everyone to beware of such scams. He said anyone who receives a call from someone wanting money to check it out first to make sure it's legitimate.
Anyone can call the department at 773-3661.
Adams reminded residents that if a deal seems too good to be true, in most cases, it's a scam.
Carroll County Sheriff’s Office officials warn citizens about being tricked out of their savings by the “Green Dot Scratch Card” scam.
The way the phone scam works is that unknown individuals call and say the citizen has won a large amount of money.
The citizens are instructed to go to Walmart and purchase a $500, “14 digit Green Dot Scratch Card,” according to police. “The citizens are then instructed to contact the caller back and give the 14 digit PIN number on the card.”
The scammers then have been repeatedly calling the citizens back to check and see if they have obtained the pin number.
These scammers claim to be with Publishers Clearinghouse or another similar sweepstakes company.
Deputies warn that one of the area codes that the calls come from is 876, which is in Jamaica.